Denver Broncos / NFL

Broncos to keep facing the best tight ends in the business

Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints will join the long list of elite tight ends to compete against the Broncos this season Oct. 28 in a nationally televised night game at Sports Authority Stadium at Mile High. (Bill Haber, The Associated Press)

In the Broncos' first three games, the opponents' top wide receivers have made highlight catches. But the all-terrain guys have done plenty of damage as well. In a league in which many teams have followed the New England Patriots' lead and put more tight ends into the passing game, those players have put up the numbers at key times.

Asked if he had concerns about how the Broncos' first three opponents have targeted the tight ends at big moments, coach John Fox said, "Well, all three of those teams have pretty good tight ends."

Asked if it was a matchup more teams are going to with players who can run past linebackers and over-power safeties, Fox said: "It changes every week. It depends on who you are and who they are. I think the whole game's about matchups."

It's a matchup the Steelers, Falcons and Texans won enough times for the teams' tight ends to put up 19 receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns in those games. The 19 catches account for 30.1 percent of the receptions against the Broncos and three of the eight receiving touchdowns the team has surrendered.

The Texans used three tight ends this past Sunday in an all-over-the-field passing game that consistently kept the Broncos on their heels. At one point it was Owen Daniels, briefly a quarterback at Wisconsin before becoming a tight end, who was running away from Broncos' linebacker Von Miller for a 14-yard scoring pass in the third quarter.

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"He just beat me on an inside move," Miller said. "I kind of laid off him a little. I was expecting him to go outside, but he went inside and beat me across the middle. I always say I will just get back in the lab, keep on working hard and I will get better."

The play, with Daniels running across the formation, was indicative of what the Broncos have struggled to defend because it came against their base defense. Most offensive coordinators are hoping to get Miller, or middle linebacker Joe Mays, in pass coverage when the Broncos are in their base defense.

And when the Broncos go to the nickel (five defensive backs), an opposing tight end may end up on a defensive back such as cornerback Chris Harris or safety Mike Adams, who might be giving away several inches in height and 50 to 60 pounds. Against the Texans, the Broncos also used a dime formation (six defensive backs) with safeties Quinton Carter and Jim Leonhard added to the mix to try to improve the matchups.

"It's a tough matchup because some of these guys can really run," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "You have to get yourself in the right spot, because against the big guys, you're not going to push them off the ball."

The Broncos are not the only ones in this boat. The Falcons' Tony Gonzalez is tied for seventh in the league in receptions (21), the Saints' Jimmy Graham is tied for 15th (17), the Lions' Brandon Pettigrew is tied for 20th (16) and the Raiders' Brandon Myers is 25th (15).

However, look at what teams are doing in the scoring zone and you see the real trend. The Steelers' Heath Miller and the 49ers' Vernon Davis are tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions, with four, while Gonzalez, Graham, the Giants' Martellus Bennett and the Vikings' Kyle Rudolph are among seven players with three touchdown receptions.

The Broncos have faced Miller and Gonzalez, with Myers on deck Sunday, then the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski, the Chargers' Antonio Gates and Graham on Oct. 28, after the bye week.

The Broncos are expected to be without Mays this week after a $50,000 fine to go with a one-game suspension for a hit this past Sunday on Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.

"We just have to get the job done," Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. "Whatever we need to do to slow those guys down, that's what we have to do. You can't leave the quarterback options like that, especially down there (near the goal line). They're always looking for the big targets down there."

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